scholarly journals Virtual Reality Cue Refusal Video Game for Alcohol and Cigarette Recovery Support: Summative Study (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Metcalf ◽  
Karen Rossie ◽  
Katie Stokes ◽  
Christina Tallman ◽  
Bradley Tanner
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Addiction Treatment ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Sampling Technique

BACKGROUND New technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and video games hold promise to support and enhance individuals in addiction treatment and recovery. Quitting or decreasing cigarette or alcohol use can lead to significant health improvements for individuals, decreasing heart disease risk and cancer risks (for both nicotine and alcohol use), among others. However, remaining in recovery from use is a significant challenge for most individuals. OBJECTIVE We developed and assessed the Take Control game, a partially immersive Kinect for Windows platform game that allows users to counter substance cues through active movements (hitting, kicking, etc). METHODS Formative analysis during phase I and phase II guided development. We conducted a small wait-list control trial using a quasi-random sampling technique (systematic) with 61 participants in recovery from addiction to alcohol or tobacco. Participants used the game 3 times and reported on substance use, cravings, satisfaction with the game experience, self-efficacy related to recovery, and side effects from exposure to a virtual reality intervention and substance cues. RESULTS Participants found the game engaging and fun and felt playing the game would support recovery efforts. On average, reported substance use decreased for participants during the intervention period. Participants in recovery for alcohol use saw more benefit than those in recovery for tobacco use, with a statistically significant increase in self-efficacy, attitude, and behavior during the intervention. Side effects from the use of a virtual reality intervention were minor and decreased over time; cravings and side effects also decreased during the study. CONCLUSIONS The preliminary results suggest the intervention holds promise as an adjunct to standard treatment for those in recovery, particularly from alcohol use.

scholarly journals A Motion-Activated Video Game for Prevention of Substance Use Disorder Relapse in Youth: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorien C Abroms ◽  
Marc Fishman ◽  
Hoa Vo ◽  
Shawn C Chiang ◽  
Victoria Somerville ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Substance Use Disorder ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Addiction Treatment ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Body Motion ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Inpatient Setting ◽  
Game Play ◽  
Treatment As Usual

BACKGROUND Body motion-activated video games are a promising strategy for promoting engagement in and adherence to addiction treatment among youth. OBJECTIVE This pilot randomized trial (N=80) investigated the feasibility of a body motion–activated video game prototype, Recovery Warrior 2.0, targeting relapse prevention in the context of a community inpatient care program for youth. METHODS Participants aged 15-25 years were recruited from an inpatient drug treatment program and randomized to receive treatment as usual (control) or game play with treatment as usual (intervention). Assessments were conducted at baseline, prior to discharge, and at 4 and 8 weeks postdischarge. RESULTS The provision of the game play intervention was found to be feasible in the inpatient setting. On an average, participants in the intervention group played for 36.6 minutes and on 3.6 different days. Participants in the intervention group mostly agreed that they would use the refusal skills taught by the game. Participants in the intervention group reported attending more outpatient counseling sessions than those in the control group (10.8 versus 4.8), but the difference was not significant (P=.32). The game had no effect on drug use at 4 or 8 weeks postdischarge, with the exception of a benefit reported at the 4-week follow-up among participants receiving treatment for marijuana addiction (P=.04). CONCLUSIONS Preliminary evidence indicates that a motion-activated video game for addiction recovery appears to be feasible and acceptable for youth within the context of inpatient treatment, but not outpatient treatment. With further development, such games hold promise as a tool for the treatment of youth substance use disorder. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03957798; https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT03957798 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/78XU6ENB4)

Designing a Better Virtual Reality (VR) Experience

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Armand J. Asencio ◽  
Ian C. Graham ◽  
Ryan Korsen ◽  
Guohua Ma ◽  
James McCusker
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Military Training ◽  
Thermoregulatory Response ◽  
Time Duration ◽  
Long Period

Abstract Virtual reality (VR) is a great new technology which has extensive applications, and it is imperative that there is a way to use VR comfortably. This will allow VR to become an everyday tool, creating a more interactive world. With more VR integration new technologies can be created and allow VR to expand further into fields like therapy or military training. However, VR comes with some unfortunate side effects. The cybersickness that many people experience when using a VR system has been shown to trigger a thermoregulatory response that causes sweating, the sensation of being excessively hot, as well as nausea. These symptoms of cybersickness make it uncomfortable to use a VR system for any long period of time. In order to combat this, the authors present a device which can effectively cool the user to extend the time duration a user can comfortably use a VR system.

scholarly journals Doppelganger-based training: Imitating our virtual self to accelerate interpersonal skills learning

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0245960
Author(s):  
Emmanuelle P. Kleinlogel ◽  
Marion Curdy ◽  
João Rodrigues ◽  
Carmen Sandi ◽  
Marianne Schmid Mast
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Role Model ◽  
Interpersonal Skills ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Virtual Self ◽  
Specific Subset ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Skills Learning

Interpersonal skills require mastering a wide range of competencies such as communication and adaptation to different situations. Effective training includes the use of videos in which role models perform the desired behaviours such that trainees can learn through behavioural mimicry. However, new technologies allow new ways of designing training. In the present study, given that virtual reality is emerging as a valuable training setting, we compare two different demonstration conditions within virtual reality by investigating the extent to which the use of doppelgangers as role models can boost trainees’ interpersonal skills development as compared to a role model that does not resemble the trainees. We also assess trainees’ level of self-efficacy and gender as potential moderators in this relationship. Participants delivered a speech in front of a virtual audience twice. Before delivering their second speech, they watched a role model giving a speech in front of the same audience. The role model was either their doppelganger or an avatar of the same gender depending on the condition they were randomly assigned to. Results showed that the doppelganger-based training was the most beneficial for male trainees low in self-efficacy. These findings have important implications for training design, suggesting that doppelganger-based training might be effective only for a specific subset of trainees.

scholarly journals Self-care self-efficacy, religious participation and depression as predictors of poststroke self-care among underserved ethnic minorities

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne M. Robertson ◽  
Cashuna Huddleston ◽  
Ben Porter ◽  
Amber B. Amspoker ◽  
Gina L. Evans-Hudnall
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Ethnic Minorities ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Religious Practice ◽  
Religious Participation ◽  
Care Group ◽  
Religious Activities ◽  
Post Stroke

Underserved ethnic minorities have multiple chronic disease risk factors, including tobacco, alcohol and substance use, which contribute to increased incidence of stroke. Self-efficacy (self-care self-efficacy), religious participation and depression may directly and indirectly influence engagement in post stroke self-care behaviors. The primary aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of self-care self-efficacy, religious participation and depression, on tobacco, alcohol and substance use in a sample of largely ethnic minority, underserved stroke survivors (n=52). Participants previously recruited for a culturally tailored secondary stroke prevention self-care intervention were included. The treatment group received three stroke self-care sessions. The usual care group completed assessments only. Both groups were included in these analyses. Main outcome measures included tobacco, alcohol and substance use. Self-care self-efficacy, religious participation and depression were also assessed. Logistic regression analyses, using self-efficacy, religious practice and depression as the referents, were used to predict binary outcomes of tobacco, alcohol and substance use at 4-weeks post-stroke. Higher depression and self-care self-efficacy were associated with reduced odds of smoking and substance use. Greater participation in religious activities was associated with lower odds of alcohol use. We can conclude that incorporating depression treatment and techniques to increase self-care self-efficacy, and encouraging religious participation may help to improve stroke self-care behaviors for underserved and low socioeconomic status individuals. Results are discussed in the context of stroke self-management.

scholarly journals Prevalence of Antipsychotic Polypharmacy and Associated Factors among Outpatients with Schizophrenia Attending Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siranesh Tesfaye ◽  
Nigussie Debencho ◽  
Teresa Kisi ◽  
Minale Tareke
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Associated Factors ◽  
Psychiatric Hospitalization ◽  
Addis Ababa ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Duration Of Treatment ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Drug Adverse Effects

Background.Despite recommendations by guidelines to avoid combinations of antipsychotics unless after multiple trials of antipsychotic monotherapy, it is quite a common practice to use combinations. This practice leads to unnecessary expenses and exposes the patient to severe drug adverse effects.Methods. An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted from April to May 2014. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select 423 study subjects. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify associated factors of antipsychotic polypharmacy among schizophrenia outpatients.Result. The overall prevalence of antipsychotic polypharmacy was found to be 28.2%. Extra pyramidal side effects (AOR = 2.80; 95% CI: 1.38, 5.71), repeated psychiatric hospitalization (AOR = 2.83; 95% CI: 1.45, 5.50), history of substance use (AOR = 2.82; 95% CI: 1.36, 5.88), longer duration of treatment (AOR = 2.10; 95% CI: 1.14, 3.87), and drug nonadherence (AOR = 1.84; 95% CI: 1.14, 2.98) were found to be significantly associated with antipsychotic polypharmacy.Conclusion. Prevalence of antipsychotic polypharmacy was found to be high among the current study participants. Individuals who had extra pyramidal side effects, admission, substance use, duration of treatment, and drug nonadherence were associated with antipsychotic polypharmacy.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Self-care Measures on Knowledge, Self-efficacy and Performance Status among Cancer Patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Vijayakrishnan Prathiba Sivakumar ◽  
Chandrasekaran Susila
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Performance Status ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Ecog Performance Status ◽  
And Performance ◽  
High Level

Abstract Introduction:There is a growing concern regarding self-care and chemotherapy side effects. The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of self-care measures on knowledge, self-efficacy, and performance status among cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted in Dr. Kamatchi Memorial Hospital, India. Using purposive sampling technique, 200 cancer patients were selected. Patients were interviewed using semi-structured knowledge questionnaires, Modified Stanford Patient Education Research Center Self-efficacy scale, deliberate self-efficacy with rating scale under four subheadings, and ECOG Performance Status Scale with 5–point grading scale i.e., dead to fully active. Results:There was adequate knowledge (95%) on self-care measures after the intervention. The mean score was significant, i.e., 21.33 (2.25), which had difference between post-knowledge score in experimental and control was statistically significant at P < 0.001 level. The majority of patients reported a high self-efficacy level (t = 198.60, P < 0.001). In addition, despite self-efficacy and knowledge the performance status observed at each cycle, i.e., 4 cycles had mean score of t = 32.13, P < 0.001, showed high level of performance status. Conclusion: The study revealed that the self-care measures during each cycle had improved the selfefficacy and performance status to high level, which in turn reduced the side effects of chemotherapy to the certain level.

scholarly journals Fieldworker effects on substance use reporting in a rural South African setting

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-39
Author(s):  
Brian Houle ◽  
Nicole Angotti ◽  
F. Xavier Gómez-Olivé ◽  
Samuel J. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Rural South ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Survey Responses ◽  
Public Health Practitioners ◽  
Current Alcohol

Aims: Fieldworkers capturing reports of sensitive behaviors, such as substance use, may influence survey responses and represent an important factor in response validity. We explored the effects and interaction of fieldworker and respondent characteristics (age and gender) in substance (tobacco and alcohol) use reporting. We aim to further the literature on conditional social attribution effects on substance use reporting in the context of South Africa, where accurate estimates of modifiable risk factors are critical for medical and public health practitioners and policy-makers in efforts to reduce chronic disease burden and mortality.Design: We modeled substance use reporting using binary logistic regression. We also tested if fieldworker effects remained, allowing for correlation in reporting for respondents with the same fieldworker using multi-level logistic regression.Setting: Agincourt Health and Socio-Demographic Surveillance System site, rural South Africa.Participants: We used data from a 2010–2011 study on HIV and cardiometabolic risk, ages 15+ (N = 4,684).Measures: Lifetime and current alcohol and tobacco use.Findings: Respondents reported higher lifetime smoking use to older fieldworkers. Male respondents reported higher lifetime alcohol use to older fieldworkers. No fieldworker effects were significant on reports of current smoking. An older, male fieldworker increased the probability of reports of current alcohol use. Adjusting for intra-fieldworker correlation explained many of the observed fieldworker effects.Conclusions: Our results highlight the importance of adjusting for interviewer characteristics to improve the accuracy of chronic disease risk factor estimates and validity of inferred associations. We recommend that surveys collecting information that may be subject to response bias routinely include anonymized fieldworker identifiers and demographic information. Analysts can then use these additional fieldworker data as a tool in evaluating probable bias in respondent reporting.

scholarly journals Cue-Elicited Anxiety and Alcohol Craving as Indicators of the Validity of ALCO-VR Software: A Virtual Reality Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 1153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Ghiţă ◽  
Olga Hernández-Serrano ◽  
Yolanda Fernández-Ruiz ◽  
Miquel Monras ◽  
Lluisa Ortega ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Alcohol Use Disorder ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Group Method ◽  
General Interest ◽  
Clinical Tool ◽  
Alcohol Craving ◽  
Better Than

Background: This study is part of a larger project aiming to develop a virtual reality (VR) software to be implemented as a clinical tool for patients diagnosed with alcohol use disorder (AUD). The study is based on previous research in which we identified factors that elicit craving for alcohol in a sample of AUD patients, and which led to the development of a virtual reality software to be used in cue exposure treatments of alcohol use disorder (ALCO-VR). The main objective of this study was to test the effectiveness of ALCO-VR to elicit cue-induced craving and anxiety responses among social drinkers (SD) and AUD patients. Our secondary objective was to explore which responses (cue-induced craving or anxiety) can best differentiate between AUD patients and the SD group. Method: Twenty-seven individuals (13 AUD patients and 14 SD) participated in this study after giving written informed consent. Their anxiety and alcohol craving levels were measured by different instruments at different stages of the procedure. The VR equipment consisted of Oculus Rift technology, and the software consisted of the ALCO-VR platform. Results: Our data indicate that the ALCO-VR software can elicit responses of anxiety and alcohol craving, especially in the group of AUD patients. The cue-induced anxiety response differentiated AUD patients and the SD group better than the cue-induced craving response. Conclusions: The general interest in applying new technologies to the assessment and treatment of mental health disorders has led to the development of immersive real-life simulations based on the advantages of VR technology. Our study concluded that the ALCO-VR software can elicit anxiety and craving responses and that cue-induced anxiety responses can distinguish between AUD and SD groups better than cue-induced craving. The data on craving and anxiety were assessed consistently by different instruments. In addition, we consider that ALCO-VR is able to ecologically assess cue-induced anxiety and alcohol craving levels during exposure to VR alcohol-related environments.

scholarly journals Product placement in computer/video games: an analysis of the impact on customers purchasing decision

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 60-70
Author(s):  
Angelina Chernikova ◽  
Murilo Branco
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Product Placement ◽  
Theoretical Contribution ◽  
Brand Recognition ◽  
The Impact

The video game and virtual reality became a new way of doing marketing considering their growing popularity and the advances of new technologies in the past few decades. In this paper is presented a research that investigates the impact of product placement in video games on gamers’ decisions on the purchase of goods from advertised. This research is focused on two of the most played games nowadays: FIFA 19 and Final Fantasy XV. A survey with 465 respondents was conducted to understand the antecedents that impact the purchase decision considering the stimulus originated from the product placement. To conduct the survey, a framework was designed based in the extant literature reviewed and finally considering the constructs of product placement, quality of virtual reality, brand recognition, brand familiarity, emotional response and purchase frequency. The results of the study suggest that gamers generally respond positively towards product placement and that product placement can indirectly impact emotional responses that will impact on consumer’s purchase intention. Hence, advertising in the video game enhances brand recognition and the perception of virtual reality. The framework presented in this paper represents the theoretical contribution of this paper, relating different concepts in the theory of product placement to the purchase intention. Therefore, the findings on this paper can help managers to find the best way to reach customers by improving the product placement strategy in the video games.

scholarly journals People in Recovery from Substance Use Disorders: What Motivates Them to Enter Addiction Treatment Agencies as Counselors?

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 2315-2334
Author(s):  
Azahah Abu Hassan Shaari
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
Substance Use Disorders ◽  
Addiction Treatment ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Treatment Programs ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Treatment Services ◽  
Staffing Needs

This qualitative study aimed to understand the motivations of people recovering from substance use disorders (SUDs) to work in addiction treatment agencies as counselors. A purposive and snowball sampling technique was used to recruit 18 recovering counselors from Long Island, New York. Most of the participants self-identified as Caucasian, and a third identified as African American. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The results indicate that want to give back, perceived self-efficacy to work with SUD clients, and previous experiences with addiction treatment services motivated people in recovery from SUD to become counselors. The respondents also reported the role of intrinsic rewards, such as witnessing clients’ progress over time and the opportunity to sustain their recovery, which influenced their decision to continue working in the addiction treatment field. Understanding work motivations has significant implications for assessing the staffing needs and professional development of SUD treatment programs, including recruitment, retention, and the overall size and capacity of the addiction treatment workforce.

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